Julius Randle scored 57 factors in one of many best nights in New York Knicks historical past. The Minnesota Timberwolves had probably the most scorching begin within the NBA this season.
Even in an period the place the scoreboard totals appear to balloon larger on a regular basis, this spectacular show of taking pictures and scoring felt completely different.
“It was a movie,” Minnesota’s Taurean Prince mentioned.
The Timberwolves overcame Randle’s efficiency by using a scorching begin and a gradual end to beat New York 140-134 on Monday evening.
Prince scored a season-high 35 factors and went 8 for 8 from 3-point vary for the Timberwolves, whereas Mike Conley added 24 factors and 11 assists. His three free throws gave Minnesota the lead for good with 2:17 remaining.
Randle’s last basket, a three-point play with 42 seconds remaining, reduce it to 137-134, however he was crushed to a rebound by Kyle Anderson on Minnesota’s subsequent possession, and a slicing Prince scored inside with 10.1 seconds left earlier than Conley made a free throw after Randle was known as for a technical foul.
That left Randle kicking himself for not making the defensive play on the evening the offenses dominated.
“Jalen (Brunson) got a defensive stop, we’re down three, it’s my job to come up with that rebound, 14 seconds left,” Randle mentioned. “If we do that, we have a chance to win the game — or not win the game, but at least tie the game. So I didn’t get the job done.”
The Timberwolves made greater than 70% of their pictures within the first half and led by 17, earlier than Randle carried the Knicks again with a franchise-record 26 factors within the third quarter.
He completed tied with Richie Guerin behind the one two 60-point video games in Knicks historical past, Carmelo Anthony’s 62 on Jan. 24, 2014, and Bernard King’s 60 on Christmas Day in 1984. But the Knicks had their three-game successful streak snapped.
The All-Star ahead threw down a robust driving dunk within the first quarter however did most of his harm from a lot farther away. Randle made eight 3-pointers in surpassing his earlier profession excessive of 46 factors.
The Wolves made their first 10 pictures and didn’t cool off a lot the remainder of the sport, ending at 61.4% and snapping a three-game skid regardless of taking part in with out Anthony Edwards for a second straight sport due to a sprained proper ankle.
“We’ve got shooters, baby,” heart Rudy Gobert mentioned.
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Gobert’s basket made the Wolves the primary staff this season to make its first 10 pictures, and Knicks followers loudly cheered when Jaden McDaniels missed Minnesota’s subsequent try, practically seven minutes into the sport. The Wolves led 42-32 after one, taking pictures 16 for 22 (72.7%).
Prince’s 3-pointer made it 70-53 with 4:35 left within the first half, however the Knicks lastly put collectively some stops to chop it to 79-70 on the break.
Then Randle got here again and went 9 for 10 within the third, hitting 5 for six past the arc. He raised his hand to fault himself after the one miss, an ill-advised try that missed the rim by a pair ft. But he might hardly be blamed for attempting the best way virtually every thing else he threw up was entering into.
